Crate



Y (No Model.)

A. H. RAMSEY.

. CRATE. No. 486,297. Patented NOV. 15, 189% UNITED STATES PATENT Denies.

ARCHIE H. RAMSEY, OF RUTLAND, FLORIDA.

CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 486,297, dated November 15, 1892.

Application filed March 10, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARCHIE H. RAMSEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rutland, in the county of Sumter and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shipping Boxes or Crates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a new and improved head for orange and other boxes or crates, which is efficient, durable, and economical, and wherein the strips composing the rectangular open frame of the box-head are securely connected Without nails or other extraneous fastening devices in such manner that they are not liable to become separated by the rough usage incident to transportation, while they can be quickly and conveniently connected by merely interlocking their end portions without resorting to dovetails.

To accomplish this object, my invention involves the features of construction and the combination or arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of a shipping box or crate embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the open frame of the box-head, and Fig. 3 is a trans- Verse sectional view of the same.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein- The numerals 1, 2, 3, and 4 indicate the rectangular strips which compose the open frame of the box-head. These strips are formed with parallel inner and outer edges, and each strip is provided at one end with a tongue 5 and at the opposite end with a groove or mortise 6, which tongue and groove or mortise extend at obtuse angles to the inner longitudinal edge of the strip, so that when the parts are assembled and engaged with each other, as in Fig. 2, they are securely held against displacement without resorting to the use of nails or other extraneous fastening devices for this purpose.

By forming the strips with tongues and grooves, as shown, three of the strips can be Serial No. 424,416- (No model.)

engaged with each other by inserting the tongue of one lengthwise into the groove of another, but the. fourth or final strip must be applied by introducing it sidewise in a plane parallel wit-l1 the sides of the three connected strips, so that such fourth or final strip completes the tying of all the strips together, by which means I accomplish the result of dispensing with extraneous fastenings. When the strips are engaged with each other in the manner explained, the oblique arrangement of the tongues and grooves relatively to the edges of the'strips renders it impossible to pull them apart by pressure or strain applied in an outward direction in the plane of the several strips, and this result is accomplished by simply providing a single tongue at one end of each strip, so that I avoid constructing one end of each strip with two tongues or tenons located at right angles toeach other for the purpose of interlocking with two grooves or mortises in another strip.

In my invention the strips are the counterpart of one another, so that waste of time is avoided in assembling them together, since a workman can take up the strips indiscriminately and then connect them with each other, and, furthermore, one set of machinery is sufficient to manufacture the strips, owing to their being identical in construction.

WVhen the open rectangular frame s formed, a sheet 7, of wood or veneering, 1s

applied to one side of the frame to complete the box-head, as will be understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 3. In practice one of these heads is used at each end of the box or crate, and the side walls 8 of the latter are composed of sheets of wood or veneering nailed or otherwise secured to the edges of the boxheads, as will be understood by those familiar with this character of boxes or crates for shipping oranges and other fruits or vegetables.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A head for a shipping box or crate, consisting of counterpart strips, each formed with a tongue at one end and a groove at the opposite end, which extend at obtuse angles to the inner longitudinal edge of the strip, the tongues and grooves being engaged with each other, and a sheet of wood or veneer secured to one side of the connected strips, substantially as described.

2. A shipping box or crate comprising the side walls 8 and a box-head composed of counterpart strips, each formed with a tongue at one end and a groove at the opposite end, which extend at obtuse angles to the inner longitudinal edge of the strip, the tongues and grooves being engaged with each other 10 and the side Walls of the box being secured to the edges of. the heads, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afi'ixed my seal in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ARCHIE H, RAMSEY.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. JOHNSON, F. L. RUTLAND. 

